GAINESVILLE, Fla. — With potential jobs looming in college basketball blue bloods Kansas and North Carolina, Florida is looking to hire coach Todd Golden to a third contract extension in as many years.
Athletic director Scott Stricklin said Tuesday that “we're going to do everything in our power to make sure he always knows he's really valuable.”
Golden has already received raises in consecutive years, first signing a two-year extension in March 2024 that raised his average salary to $4.1 million annually and then adding another year to the deal last May after winning the national title, which skyrocketed his average salary to $6.75 million.
Among the seven current coaches who have won national championships, Golden, 40, ranks fifth in compensation behind Bill Self at Kansas, John Calipari at Arkansas, Dan Hurley at UConn and Tom Izzo at Michigan State. That could change with another increase.
The top-seeded Gators (27-8) lost to ninth-seeded Iowa in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Sunday, ending their chance to win back-to-back titles for the second time in program history. There has been speculation about Golden's future ever since.
Golden has five years left on his current contract, which includes a $16 million buyout to go to another school. That figure drops to $11 million as of April 16. Adding another year to the deal could allow Florida to keep its buyout high enough to potentially scare away suitors.
“When we have talented and successful coaches, we will do everything we can to make sure they know they are appreciated at the University of Florida,” Stricklin said. “We have given Todd new contracts in each of the last two years. He is a priority for the University of Florida and we will treat him as such.”
Golden is the fastest Florida basketball coach to reach 100 wins, accomplishing the feat in 139 games and breaking the previous record (154) set by Billy Donovan in 2001. Golden joined Calipari and Tubby Smith as the only Southeastern Conference coaches to do so in four seasons.
Many consider this season to be Golden's best coaching job. The Gators started the season 5-4 and dropped out of the AP Top 25 at the end of December.
Golden, who was named SEC Coach of the Year, responded by revamping the team's offensive approach. No more delicate plays. No more shooting from 3 point range. Golden implored his boys to embrace “ugly basketball.” Be physical. Master the painting. Drive, plate, dunk. Take the fight to opponents on both ends of the court. He became the team's calling card and produced impressive results.
Florida won 21 of 23 games before losing to Vanderbilt in the SEC tournament. The Gators regrouped and dominated Prairie View in the first round of the NCAA tournament 114-55. They were double-digit favorites against Iowa and lost 73-72, failing to make a final shot in the final seconds.
Stricklin called the last 12 months under Golden “unbelievable.”
“It's pretty thin air that Todd and his staff and the players are facing us,” he said. “This particular group of guys connected with Gator Nation on a really unique level… They just feel a connection because of how hard the guys play and the good job they do representing the University of Florida. We're going to be back. Todd is going to have a program that's going to last a long, long time.”
And Stricklin expressed confidence that this will happen in Gainesville.
“Todd wants to be at the University of Florida,” he said. “I wish all those [other] Really good luck programs. “I'm sure they'll find a good coach and I'm glad Todd is here for a long time.”
